The Indigenous Small Business Fund (ISBF) offers funding to Indigenous community based organisations to assist Indigenous people to learn about business, develop good business skills and expand their businesses.

Incorporated community-based Indigenous organisations can apply for funding. A community-based organisation is one that returns profits to the community and not to individuals.

Community-based Indigenous organisations may be incorporated under the Commonwealth

Organisations that are incorporated under other business arrangements will need to show that they are community-based, that their aims are consistent with the objectives of the Indigenous Small Business Fund (described in Guidelines) and that Indigenous people have majority representation on its board or management committee.

The Indigenous Small Business Fund provides funds for projects that help create Indigenous business opportunities. The projects may:

• provide training in how to start and run a business;
• look for business opportunities;
• examine business opportunities through feasibility studies, business plans and proposals; and
• provide advice or support to small business owners and operators, that will help build their skills, markets and

• positions in organisations that another government department or company has been paying for but is no longer funding;
• an existing job with your organisation or for work that someone is already doing;
• the purchase of major assets, we will only pay for assets that are consumable, essential to the project and minor in cost, that is, no more than $3,000;
• overseas travel, training or conferences, and we will not fund advisers or trainers brought from overseas;
• conferences, seminars, competitions, expos or festivals unless they are part of a broader project that has other goals;
• the set up or normal running costs of a business, this includes legal costs, registration, wages, vehicles, equipment and raw materials.
• A project may not be funded if it competes directly with an existing private business, unless you can show that there is an unsatisfied demand for the product or service.
• The Indigenous Small Business Fund will not replace or duplicate funding from other Commonwealth, state, territory or local government agencies or programmes. We will consult other government agencies when we consider projects.